Taylor P has no doubt Cape Town was the best place for her study abroad

Three and a half months in Cape Town isn’t nearly enough time to explore the amazing city. Looking back on my trip it went by so quickly that I can’t even believe it. Being home has been nice because I missed all my friends and family but I find myself thinking about Cape Town probably at least three or four times a day. It truly was the trip of a lifetime in terms of beauty and experience. The past few weeks every time I see someone new they are like “I know a bunch of people probably asked you already, but how was Cape Town?” and I reply with “don’t worry, I really love talking about it.” I think the hardest part of reminiscing with people is when they ask me what my favorite part was. The thing is that there definitely isn’t just one thing that stands out from the rest

Overall, there were few, if any, things that I didn’t love about South Africa. I loved the hospital I worked at and all of the little babies that I fell in love with. I loved the classes that we took and the deep conversations and experiences we were all able to share with each other. I loved all the extra projects we did with the youth group in Ocean View and human rights weekend and our homestay weekend. And of course I loved all the tourist-y things like the garden route and skydiving and bungee jumping. But most of all I loved all the different people that I encountered everyday that were so open and willing to share their experiences and passions with me.

            

While abroad, I learned a lot about South Africa’s history and government and its people, but I also learned about myself. Vincent, Vernon and Marita all did an amazing job of teaching me more about South Africa than I’ve ever known about America. They changed my thinking in way more than a few ways by opening my eyes to harsh realities while also guiding me in the direction of different ways to help and be an ally. In terms of myself, I think I finally learned what it means to be passionate about something.

Before my semester abroad I thought I had my whole life figured out; graduate, straight to PA school and then on to be a physician assistant, case closed. However, after meeting so many people who have a career that directly correlates to their passion and being exposed to so many different opportunities, I finally realized what I really want to do with my life. I believe that I am on the right track in terms of the medical field. But now I have narrowed it down to wanting to work in pediatrics because I loved being just a small part of the kid’s healing process at Sarah Fox Children’s Hospital and I believe that kids are impressionable at their young age and I am willing to help in any way possible. I have recently discovered my passion for wanting to work with HIV/AIDS patients after my time in South Africa. The exposure and infection rates are insanely high in several countries and I think that getting involved in an organization or something related to prevention or what not would be amazing.

It is a month later and I am still decompressing about my trip to South Africa and I believe I will be for a very long time. I learned so much from the people and experiences that I had while abroad I really couldn’t have asked for anything better. Before committing to South Africa I was undecided between London and Cape Town for study abroad. I am 100% positive that I made the right decision for myself because I truly fell in love with this country and I know that I wouldn’t have felt so at home in London. By the end of our trip I felt like a local because I was so involved with so many communities and it really felt like home. I can’t wait to return to South Africa someday!

Taylor P looking forward to getting involved once she returns home

This past weekend Taylor L., John and I went on the garden route. It was amazing all of the animals we got to see and the scenic views. We even bungee jumped off the highest commercial bridge in the world! It was an amazing weekend and I think we could all agree that we felt like such tourists. Like Taylor mentioned, we shared a van with two British ladies and a German couple. It was definitely interesting spending a whole weekend with different people rather than being in the house with all of our housemates/friends.

One of my favorite nights was Friday night when we had load shedding at the backpackers place. There was no electricity but we had a huge fire and a bunch of the guests sat around and talked for hours. I didn’t know these people and I could barely make out their faces but it was so easy for us to talk and share our South African experiences. It was almost refreshing to have such open conversation with complete strangers. It just shows how easy it is to find people who you relate to and can learn from.

The weekend consisted of a lot of driving and therefore a lot of time to think and decompress. I think I realized over the weekend just how lucky I am to get to experience all the different sides of South Africa and how although I haven’t taken my trip for granted, I haven’t appreciated it enough. As our trip comes to a close I am starting to think about how I can bring my experiences and changed perspectives back to the states. Up until recently I haven’t been that excited to go home, but I realized this weekend just how much I can do and get involved in once I return back home.

Taylor P's enlightening week

This past week was very enlightening in the sense that all of the history and politics we have been learning in class was truly coming to life. Sharpeville was probably my favorite museum because you could really get a feel for the history through the tour guides and the town as a whole. The pictures and paragraphs of information really stimulated my thinking and I was able to relate back to class and all that we learned about protests and anti-apartheid movements. The memorials and the cemetery were heartbreaking but it was amazing to be able to witness real life history. The tour guides were truly amazing because they were all personally involved in the apartheid struggle and it was evident how strongly they felt about it. One of the guides told us that her parents, husband and two children were all killed during the struggle and that was truly upsetting. However, it just showed how strongly she feels about sharing their story and her dedication to contributing to a better future. 

Students listen to story of Sharpeville from tour guide Alice.

            I also really enjoyed the Hector Pieterson Museum  because it was just a glimpse into the riots and protests that took place across the nation. It’s inspiring to read about the people who fought so strongly and gave their lives for the cause while knowing they might not be around to see the final result. Personally, Hector’s sister really inspired me with her statement about Hector not being a hero but how she is so proud that his tragic and unfortunate death sparked such an amazing response across the nation.

The entire week was a whirlwind of amazing museums full of rich history and inspiring people. It was nice to be able to decompress in Kruger National Park with all of the amazing animals!

Taylor P still having fun

The past weekend a couple of us went to The Holi One Color Festival at the Parade in town. We heard music and danced and got covered in a whole bunch of different colors. Then on Sunday another group of us went sandboarding, which was absolutely exhausting. Those sand dunes are totally not a joke. I’m a snowboarder so I thought this would be easy for me, gee was I wrong. It was a bit difficult and definitely harder on my butt when I fell. However, we had two young boys who were doing it with us and they kept us all going thank goodness! Overall it was a fun filled but very tiring weekend. My laundry was also filled with colored powder and lots of sand! Tuesday was Saint Patrick’s Day!!! Most of the group went out to an Irish Pub called Dubliners, which had really awesome, live music. The holiday doesn’t seem to be as big here as it is in the states but it was still very fun.

Taylor P, John, Caitlin, Ashlyn, Jillian, Taylor L, Becca

Taylor P is never bored

This past weekend has definitely been eventful and very interesting. Cape Town makes it impossible to ever be bored. Last Friday we started our scuba certification lessons. That was so much fun and I cannot wait to dive in the actual ocean and see all of the aquatic life. On Saturday I took my first trip to Old Biscuit Mill and there was amazing food and the cutest little shops. Then Taylor and I went to our first rugby game. We showed up without tickets and no team to root for. However, after purchasing tickets and decking out in Stormers apparel, we had a blast and both of us really didn’t have any idea what was going on. I definitely want to go to another game soon! On Sunday a large group of us made our way to Mzoli’s, an amazing brai place. We met up with a group of kids from our Africa Unite and we ate and danced and it was so much fun. We spent the entire afternoon having the time of our lives and we plan on going back very soon! This coming week/weekend should be just as eventful!

Taylor's eventful fun times

This past weekend has definitely been eventful and very interesting. Cape Town makes it impossible to ever be bored. Last Friday we started our scuba certification lessons. That was so much fun and I cannot wait to dive in the actual ocean and see all of the aquatic life. On Saturday I took my first trip to Old Biscuit Mill and there was amazing food and the cutest little shops. Then Taylor and I went to our first rugby game. We showed up without tickets and no team to root for. However, after purchasing tickets and decking out in Stormers apparel, we had a blast and both of us really didn’t have any idea what was going on. I definitely want to go to another game soon! On Sunday a large group of us made our way to Mzoli’s, an amazing brai place. We met up with a group of kids from our Africa Unite and we ate and danced and it was so much fun. We spent the entire afternoon having the time of our lives and we plan on going back very soon! This coming week/weekend should be just as eventful!

 

Taylor P (far left), Jillian, Julia, Becca, Caitlin, Sam, Ashlyn

Taylor P's weekend highlight was meeting different people

This past weekend we went away for a human rights retreat at a farm basically in the middle of nowhere. Aside from the amazing home cooked meals and frequent tea times, I learned a lot from Vincent, Brilliant and Faith, our instructors for the weekend. Previous to this weekend I only had basic knowledge about human rights and the fact that everyone had them. I learned about the several ways that our rights can be and are violated each day. However, the highlight was the different people that I met from several different backgrounds, countries and cultures. I met people from Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Holland amongst other places. It was insane how many people that I spoke with and the stories that they told me. At one point Vincent asked everyone to go up and write human rights in whatever language they spoke. If I remember correctly there were about 11 different languages, which is crazy to me. It actually makes me wish that I knew a language aside from English.

Taylor P, Faith, Jillian,        , John at Human Rights Weekend

Taylor P felt like she was home

This past weekend was our homestay in Ocean View. I was actually asleep on the entire drive in; therefore I wasn’t even sure what the surrounding area looked like. I really had no idea what to expect from this weekend. Imhoff farm, across the street from Ocean View, was like a completely different world from the community. The animals, the little shops and the people there were all doing their own thing and were very touristy. However, right across the street was a neighborhood of thousands of people, many of whom have not even stepped foot on this farm. Jill and I were dropped off at Auntie Bernie’s and were immediately made an amazing, and much missed, home cooked meal. I already felt like I was at home.

Thursday night we were taught how to ballroom dance with some of the kids of the community. Let me say that these kids were probably from age 7 to 15 and every single one of them was an amazing dancer and certainly much better than I am. It was so much fun and my favorite part was probably the free dancing at the end where everyone completely let loose and we all danced like crazy. The next day we went to Daisy Day Care and took the kindergarteners on a little trip around the community. We went to the library and the police station to learn about good behavior. All of the little kids were so fun to play with and we ended the afternoon with a marshmallow egg hunt. 

           

The rest of the weekend was spend with out host family and getting a sense of how they spend their time. Overall, I got to spend an entire weekend with an amazing family that truly loved spending time with each other and opening to their house to 2 strangers but making us feel like family. This weekend was just another example of how wonderful the people of Cape Town truly are.

Taylor's enjoying it all

It's great to finally have a routine here because it makes cape town seem even more like home. My internship is at Sarah Fox Children's Hospital and my obsession with kids makes it easy to love what i do. Basically i feed, change and give the kids their medicine. I also get to play with them outside the majority of the day and who would complain about that? The babies are happy most of the time and it makes it easy to be in a good mood all day. I plan to start researching their conditions to learn as much as possible and maybe find other ways to help out around the hospital! Classes at the university are also pretty awesome which is weird because most classes are insanely boring. Vernon's class was so much fun especially learning basic phrases in Afrikaans. Vincent taught us basically 300 years of history in one class which was super informative and really investing because its an entire new history unrelated to America which is what i am used to learning about. I look forward to what i will learn in these classes in the future. 

My birthday was this past weekend!! On Friday we hiked lion's head which was absolutely unreal. The hike was definitely a struggle but the views on top were totally worth it. Siting on top of the mountain and getting a 360 view of cape town which included the city, the ocean and table mountain was spectacular and the pictures really do not do it justice. we ended up hiking down at sunset and got to see the sun go down on the water which was beautiful. i am so excited to hike new trails and mountains and i definitely want to do lion's head again soon! Then on Sunday we went to go see FreshlyGround at Kirstenbosch Gardens. aside from the amazing scenery that the garden has to offer, the music was amazing and I definitely would be interested in seeing the band again or different artists at the same venue. It really was a birthday weekend that I'll never forget!!!

 

Caitlin, Becca, Taylor L, John, Jillian, Julia, Taylor P on Lion's Head